Book Description

Investigation of the speed limit of tunnel diode circuit operation indicates that these circuits should be considered as distributed circuits, because the cut-off frequency of the tunnel diode is more than one thousand megacycles. Methods of obtaining maximum speed tunnel diode circuits may be classified into two groups. One method is that a circuit is designed as a lumped constant circuit originally and, after that, these lumped constant elements are replaced by distributed circuits, if necessary. The other method is that the characteristics of distributed circuitry are used positively and the circuits are designed as distributed circuits from the beginning. The latter method seems to have more difficulties and more possibilities for maximum speed circuits than the former. The former method is used in this report. The linear analysis of resistive networks which include negative resistance elements such as a tunnel diode, are mentioned in Part I. In Part II, the tunnel diode-transistor hybrid logical and switching circuits are mentioned as one example of the application of the theories which are described in Part I. The operating speeds of the hybrid circuits do not seem to be as high as those of all tunnel diode circuits, but they are much more easily designed and more practical in a large digital system. (Author).